


Pretty Golden Nightingale

by Rellanka



Series: A Year Of Cloudy Skies [62]
Category: Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Caretaking, Cloud raised in Wutai, Does it count if they were just on opposite sides?, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Falling In Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:34:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24852406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rellanka/pseuds/Rellanka
Summary: After falling during a battle in Wutai, Zack gets some unexpected help that causes him to make some new evaluations about where his life is going, and where hewantsit to go.
Relationships: Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Series: A Year Of Cloudy Skies [62]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1697269
Comments: 5
Kudos: 204





	Pretty Golden Nightingale

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in the nebulous timeline between where Angeal abandoned Shinra and where the war against Wutai was won. Zack also knows about the degradation Angeal and Genesis suffer from, which I can't remember for sure or not had happened at this point, but for this fic's sake we'll say it did.

_What happened? Am I…_

Zack lay floating in an endless sea of white. He couldn’t tell what kept him afloat; there was no water, as far as he could tell. Somewhere, far off and distant was pain, incredible pain. 

Had he been hurt?

He had, Zack realized. Badly so. 

How had he been hurt?

He was in Wutai, he remembered. He’d been working with Sephiroth, in between searching for Angeal and Genesis. They’d finally worked out a plan, one to help them defeat a General that had been giving Sephiroth a lot of trouble. Zack had been eager, excited to finally be able to actually **do** something rather than just sit in Shinra Headquarters and worry about his mentor. 

But the Wutai General, he’d had some of those monsters. Those monsters that had been created to fight Soldiers. 

And Zack…

 _But did that mean that…?_

_**Not yet.**_ A voice that was a thousand voices said, and suddenly Zack was out of the peaceful white.

And back in the world, where there was **PAIN!**

Zack jack rabbited up off the surface he was laying on, some type of couch? Bed? Something flat and cushioned. He couldn’t really bother to look at what he was laying on to know what it was, because every part of him was consumed with the pain that was rushing through him. 

That monster… it had stuck a lance the size of a small tree right through Zack, hadn’t it? How was he even alive after that? 

“Easy, easy.” A soft voice said, as equally soft hand pushed Zack flat on the surface again. “I thought I’d lost you, there for a bit. I don’t even know how I **didn’t** lose you. The Gods work in mysterious ways, I suppose.” 

Lose? Did Zack _know_ this person? No, he didn’t. He didn’t think. At least, he was pretty sure he’d never heard that voice before. 

Zack tried to open his eyes to see, but they wouldn’t focus for some reason, leaving everything blurry and breaking up into multiples, like looking at the world through a kaleidoscope. 

The only thing he could see of his savior(?) was a vaguely human-ish figure, with a swath of yellow-colored something on top. 

“Hey, it’s okay. It got you pretty good on your head, too, but you should recover fine, with time. Just take it easy, alright?” 

Zack nodded drunkenly. Taking it easy. That sounded nice. 

“’kay.” Zack slurred out through a drunken feeling tongue, “Think I’m gonna- think I’m gonna take a nap now. Goodnight.” 

“Goodnight.” The figure replied, sounding distinctly amused, and Zack fell back into unconsciousness. 

***

He still felt like he was floating, but it was dark where he was now. Dark, with the pain still being far yet much closer than it had been. 

But it was also warm, and felt safe. Every once in a while he could swear that he felt gentle hands touching him, soothing those far-off pains. And accompanying those hands was a soft, absent humming. It had no real tune. It was just… there, a soft sound that changed pitch and melody seemingly at random. 

It was nice, and it made Zack feel… safe. 

It was with relief, that he sunk deeper into that darkness. 

***

That voice was there, every time that Zack began to stir, and he was grateful. It soothed a part of him, to not be alone, to be cared for so gently, to be able to honestly trust someone to help him again. He’d begun to look at people as if they were monsters, lately. It was nice, to be reminded that there were still heroes in the world.

As time went on he began to associate that soft humming with peace and warmth, and it made him happy every time he heard it.

***

“Do you think you feel well enough now to sit up so I can feed you more easily?” The voice greeted him after he had drifted back into consciousness this time. 

Zack opened his eyes, but all he saw was black. Before he could do more than tense, the voice said quickly, “I’m sorry for the blindfold. My ma insisted.” 

Oh. Zack was technically probably this man’s enemy, wasn’t he? He certainly hadn’t been acting like any of Shinra’s medics. 

“Why are you helping me?” Zack asked. 

He was honestly curious rather than accusatory. He didn’t think the man behind the voice was the type to use this, or Zack himself, as leverage against Shinra. But he couldn’t think of what other reason this man might have.

The voice paused, then finally said, “I saw you, as you were dying. And it looked… it looked awful for someone who looked so kind to die that way. I couldn’t leave you to die like that.” 

He looked kind, huh? It wasn’t quite as good as ‘the most handsome man I’ve ever seen’ but Zack would take it. (But why was Zack even thinking that? He should probably stay focused rather than thinking of how pretty this man’s voice sounds. Or how gentle his hands were.)

“I’m really thankful. I probably wouldn’t have made it without you. Actually, I really wouldn’t have. I should probably pay you back someday. Maybe with… a date?” It slipped out without him really meaning to say it. Even without all of the other reasons why this was a bad idea, Zack **definitely** shouldn’t be flirting with a man that was currently busy saving his life when he didn’t know how the man would react to it. Not when Zack wasn’t fully saved just yet. 

But Zack also couldn’t help himself. 

“Yeah.” The man drawled, his voice gone dry and thrilling, because oh, it sounded like he had some sass, and Zack _loved_ people who were sassy, “Let’s see if you can sit up long enough to let me spoon feed you before we do anything exciting like that.” 

Okay, that had hurt his ego a bit. …It was still kinda funny though. 

It became a little less so when the man came back and Zack realized he really would have to be spoon fed, because he couldn’t see the spoon. 

But heck, respecting the one request his savior had made of him was worth the embarrassment.

***

And so Zack spent the rest of his recovery. The man, Cloud as he’d finally coaxed out, gently easing him into more and more physical activity as the days progressed. Zack drawing Cloud into conversations about whatever random thing that came to mind. Zack slowly getting his strength back and his heart racing every time Cloud ran his hands over Zack’s skin to tend to his bandages and check his healing. Laughter and tiny little bits of information about his savior spaced throughout everything else that Zack held tightly in his heart. 

Best of all were the days that Cloud stayed in the room nearly all day, busy with some task that Zack couldn’t see, humming absently to himself as he worked. Those were not only the days that Zack could talk to Cloud whenever he wasn’t too busy, they were also the days that Zack could bask in the man’s presence, and take comfort in the peace that it brought him every time. 

Zack loved those days. 

But when one day Cloud stood Zack up, and halted him with a hand to his chest when he readied himself to go on a light walk about the room, Zack had a horrible feeling those days were over. 

“Zack.” Cloud said, voice unreadable for the first time since Zack had met him. “I think that you’re ready to go back to your men, now. You’re basically fully healed, and the Soldier healing that I’ve heard of should take care of the rest.” 

Zack knew that Cloud was right. Knew that he had been willfully ignoring this fact for days. Because Zack…

Zack didn’t want to leave. He really, _really_ didn’t want to.

But he had to. He’d been putting this off, but he’d already asked so much of Cloud. He couldn’t ask him to harbor Zack for the rest of his life. Shinra would come looking for Zack eventually, and if the found Cloud… No. Zack couldn’t risk it. 

It’s why he didn’t even try to argue. (It’s why he didn’t get down on his knees and **beg**.)

“Yeah.” He said, his voice subdued even to his own ears, “You’re right. I know. I know you’re right.” Zack turned away and shut his eyes behind the blindfold tightly. “Thank you for everything, Cloud. If there’s anything to do to pay you back for all of this- and I mean it, I’m not talking about just a date, but absolutely anything at all- just tell me, and I’ll do it. I’ll do anything. I owe you more than I can ever repay, after all.” 

“You don’t owe me anything, Zack.” Cloud protested. 

But Zack did. And he started making his repayment by taking the remembered steps to the door…

And even as it killed him inside to do so, stepping out. 

“Goodbye, Cloud.”

***

“Where have you been?” Sephiroth confronted him after the men had mostly gotten through their fuss at his sudden return.

“With someone that made me believe in true heroes again.” Zack replied almost absently, staring at some far off distance past Sephiroth’s shoulder.

Sephiroth shook his head at the man and the odd, subdued state he was in. Despite his worry, he could tell that he would get nothing useful out of him at the moment. He would have to try again later. 

***

Zack frowned as he surveyed the celebration of the troops. He should probably be happy. Should probably be celebrating with them. 

He would have been, once, he thinks. 

But now, every time one of them brags about killing a Wutai soldier, all he can think of is Cloud. When he looks around, all he can see is a proud, honorable people brought low. 

And for what? What was this war even about? Zack was pretty high on the totem pole, and even he didn’t know. Not really. The hints he had gotten, though, weren’t good. Not at all. 

It seemed like every time he turned around, he felt like he was on the side of monsters. 

Not the heroes. 

It’d taken Angeal for him to notice that Shinra wasn’t what he thought it was. And now Cloud had driven the point home. 

Guess he was just the sort of guy that needed a personal stake in something before he realized that something was wrong in what was happening. 

And here he’d always thought better of himself than that. 

Maybe there were a lot of things he needed to rethink. 

Sephiroth appeared at his side while Zack was still staring out over the troops, trying his best to keep his expression friendly, and if not that, at least unreadable. 

But not good enough to fool the great General apparently. He could tell that Sephiroth knew **something** was wrong by the look on his face. 

“We’re expected in the Palace to meet the King for negotiations.” Sephiroth said in that impassive voice of his, “Do you feel up to it? Zack?” 

Zack jumped at the sound of his voice, turning to face Sephiroth with a wide, false smile. 

“Yeah, sure I am. Sounds great.” 

***

The negotiations went about as well as Zack had thought they would. Not that they were really ‘negotiations’ so much as Sephiroth coldly and firmly laying out the terms of Wutai’s complete and utter surrender to Shinra’s ‘great might.’

It was at times like this when Zack wanted to punch **himself** in the face. 

He didn’t blame any of the Wutaian’s for the dark glares they barely tried to disguise. And to be fair to Sephiroth, who Zack was a little annoyed at himself at the moment, the General didn’t cause any issue over the less than friendly way he was being treated. Just stared at the Wutaian King impassively until he finally agreed and signed the terms with an angry, hopeless scrawl. 

Sephiroth nodded and brought the papers back to himself, tucking them neatly into an official looking folder and then tucking that folder into his coat. 

“Shinra wants I and Zack to stay in the Palace tonight.” Sephiroth informed the King emotionlessly.

“What?!” The King and Zack shouted in unison.

Sephiroth sent Zack a quelling glance.

“He wants to be sure that there are no hard feelings going into our new friendship, if you don’t mind hosting the two of us for the night. We’ll be returning to Midgar in the morning.” Sephiroth said. It was clear that he hadn’t really been asking for the King’s permission the second time, either. 

_You know, it would be a whole lot better if you weren’t such an arrogant, emotionless_ prick _about this whole thing._ Zack thought angrily. He knew that he was being a little unfair, that Sephiroth was just following orders. That Zack was heavily biased about this now, and not in Sephiroth’s favor. But still. The guy could at least pretend that he was _a little_ sorry. 

“We’ll see that suitable accommodations are arranged.” The King said through gritted teeth. 

Zack had a feeling it was going to be a long night. 

***

The room they’d put him in was tiny, had a mat that was bumpy and uncomfortable, temperature wise was somehow very hot and at the same time drafty, smelled funny, and from what those lingering smells were had probably been a hastily-cleared utility closet. 

Zack really would have been better off bunking outside in one of their camps. But Seph had just had to make it so they couldn’t, hadn’t he?

Zack rolled over and sighed, considered his options for a moment and then pushed himself up with a grunt and left the room. 

He definitely wasn’t going to endear himself to the Wutai soldiers by going wondering through the halls, but if he didn’t get up and start moving soon he was going to scream. So that’s what he did, even if he didn’t want to cause them more hardship than he already had. It was his conscious that was bothering him more than the uncomfortableness of the room. But he didn’t think the Wutai soldiers would believe him, or even care, if he told them that. 

What good would his conscious do for them, now that they’d already been conquered? 

Nothing, that’s what, but it didn’t stop Zack from feeling awful. 

He was on his second trek of the Palace when he heard it. 

“What are we going to do now, Wolf? So many people are lost, and we can’t even avenge them. We can’t even **do** anything! We’re the Shinra’s dogs now! I don’t _want_ to be a Shinra dog! I don’t know what to I should do!” A young voice wailed with loud, hitching sobs, sending Zack’s heart sinking in his chest. 

But then he heard something that stopped his retreat from the sound of the crying girl dead. 

“Shh, Yuffie, shh. It’ll be okay.” That voice, **Cloud’s** voice sounded down the hall, causing Zack to twist around to stare at the door it was coming from with wide eyes. Cloud was safe! Cloud was here! “Those who survive can grow strong from living through this. They just have to keep going, have to take it a day at a time. One day things may not be as bad as they are now. We just have to keep going. We just have to wait for a time when things will be made right again. For a time when we can try to make them right again. We can’t just give up yet. Okay?” Cloud said, his voice as sweet and as kind as it had been when he was helping Zack. 

“Okay. Okay, Cloud. I’ll try.” The voice said, hiccupping as the crying grew softer. 

“That’s all any of us can ask of you, Yuffie. I love you.” Cloud’s voice said. 

“I love you too, big brother.” Yuffie’s voice replied, and Cloud began humming softly. 

Zack just stood there for a long time, listening to the familiar sound, basking in the feeling of peace it brought to him, even second hand. 

He was so lost in it that feeling that he didn’t know which of them was more startled when Cloud stepped lightly out of that room an impossible to guess amount of time later, Cloud or himself. 

Not that the sight of Cloud wasn’t startling enough. 

Zack had vaguely known that Cloud had some shade of blond hair, and blue eyes. 

But he’d never known how beautiful Cloud was, how well those features complemented his face and bone structure. It wouldn’t have mattered who he was, if Zack’d seen anyone looking like Cloud he would have taken the time for a double take. But for a face that beautiful to be attached to someone Zack was in love with…

Well, Zack had already been completely gone for the guy, but he could now say for sure that he was also incredibly attracted to him. 

He was still taking in all of… well, all of **Cloud** , when the man put a finger to his lips to hush him and ushered him away from the little girl’s room.

They were out on some sort of veranda when Cloud finally turned to face him again. 

“Zack. They told me that you were staying here.” He said.

“They?” Zack asked, “No, wait, are you _related_ to the King and Princess?” 

“Not really.” Cloud answered, looking a little abashed by the thought, “When we left Nibelheim, we came here to Wutai to get away from… everything, especially Shinra. We petitioned the King directly to let us stay, and after Yuffie attached herself to me, they kind of just took us in. I’m close enough to Yuffie that she considers me family, but I’m not actually related.” 

“I see.” Zack said. 

That made a lot of sense, he guessed. But something was tingling in his memories at the mention of Nibelheim. 

“You’re from Nibelheim?” He asked a little excitedly, “I’m a country boy, too. All Gongaga has is a Reactor near it, and if there’s a Reactor, there…” 

He suddenly remembered why Nibelheim was important to him, and shut up as his brow furrowed, an idea that he wasn’t sure what to think of forming in his head. Cloud had said to get away from Shinra **especially** , hadn’t he…?

“There isn’t much else there.” Cloud finished for him a little sadly. 

Cloud stared out into the darkness for a moment while Zack just stood there, staring at **him**. Finally, Cloud nodded to himself, and turned to Zack to meet his eyes firmly.

“Zack,” he said, “I’m going to tell you some things, and I need you to not think that I’m crazy.” 

Zack nodded. Honestly, he wasn’t sure what was going on, but he didn’t think that anything would ever convince him to think less of Cloud. He could probably tell Zack that he’d seen a pig flying in the sky, and Zack would believe that he had. 

Cloud returned his nod and continued, “The Planet speaks to me, sometimes. I can hear it. It’s not always clear because sometimes it has too many voices, and sometimes it’s too loud or too soft. But I’ve still always somehow been able to figure out what it’s trying to say eventually, ever since I was a child. Ma always said that we were special, God touched, and I never knew what she meant until then. But she did. So when the Planet told me that I needed to destroy the Reactor, that something bad, very, very bad, was inside, she listened. And she helped me blow it to pieces.” 

Zack’s breath caught in his throat. Everyone knew about the Nibelheim Reactor. The explosion that had torn it apart had been devastating to it, but somehow not to the town of Nibelheim. But even while it had been good that there had been no civilian casualties, President Shinra had still been utterly furious at all the loss that had resulted from its destruction, probably more furious then he would have been if it had been lives lost rather than assets. The scientists hadn’t been able to really salvage anything from the rubble, except for maybe some metal that they could melt down and reform. Anything else in there had been turned completely into ash. From what Zack had heard, Hojo had been even angrier than the President by the end of the search. Completely and totally enraged, the grapevine whispered behind their hands. 

To know that Cloud and his mother had been the cause of that…

Cloud raised a hand, and Zack’s eyes grew wide with shock as sparks began to dance around it, what looked almost like lights of the Lifestream twirling in his palm. It looked- it looked like something out of one of the PR vids that Shinra had put out about the Ancients. 

Those lights probably **were** lights of the Lifestream, Zack realized a little dazedly. He could- he could practically _feel_ the power of them from where he stood. And Cloud’s eyes- they were shining. Shining as if they were filled with a thousand stars, in a much more literal way than Zack had ever seen with anyone else. 

“The Planet is dying, Zack. And it’s given me a break, a chance to grow up, but to save it I’m going to have to destroy a lot more Reactors. So if you… If you’re going to be the one to stop me, I’d rather you know so you can do it now. I’m pretty sure that it will only hurt more later on.” Cloud finished, meeting Zack’s eyes and standing firmly planted while the lights that represented their Planet swirled around him. 

He looked like an angel.

He looked like a hero.

Stop him?

Zack had a much better idea then that. 

“Do you think the Planet will help you heal some friends of mine?” Zack asked Cloud with a bright, bright smile, feeling weightless and like he had a purpose, a **good** purpose, for the first time in far too long, “I think that if we’re going to go against Shinra, that we might need some help.” 

**Author's Note:**

> So this is kind of a remix of ‘What if Cloud had been born Cetra?’ or, alternatively, it could also be ‘What if the Planet decided to wake up its Champion early, and gave its Champion the ability to hear it to do so?’ Both ideas could be canon for this fic, so pick or choose your favorite one.


End file.
